PatsPropaganda

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Ravens, Texans and Colts will define seasons coming off byes in Week 9 | The MMQB with Peter King

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Ravens, Texans and Colts will define seasons coming off byes in Week 9 | The MMQB with Peter King

Tough critique from Bedard, but I think the pieces are in place to turn it around. Nothing is clicking right now, but with guys finally getting healthy that can change in a hurry. Still, rough reading below…

Everyone, especially the rabid fans in New England, wants to know what’s wrong with the Patriots’ offense. After watching film this week, here’s my quick synopsis: they stink. All of them. It’s not just the receivers. It’s not just the pass or run blocking. It’s not just Tom Brady’s inaccuracy. It’s a combination of everything. Basically, there isn’t one thing they do well. It looks like the Patriots coaches think that as well, because the game plan against the Dolphins last Sunday was bare bones. The Pats won, 27-17, but there wasn’t a whole lot of motion or variety. They stuck to a few basic runs, a handful of different pass concepts.

The Patriots looked like they were saying, “We aren’t doing anything well at this point, so let’s dial it back and start from the basics.” The problem is, they couldn’t even execute that game plan. The first half was one of the worst performances I’ve seen in some time from the Patriots’ offensive line, both run and pass. Left guard Logan Mankins, normally the stalwart, struggled mightily in all phases of the game. He might be toughing out some sort of lower body injury. That said, the run blocking was much cleaner in the fourth quarter, so that may be something to build off of. Although I have no clue why the Patriots aren’t playing Stevan Ridley more. He’s by far their best running back. It’s not even close.

I’m a Pats fan from Los Angeles, and much that I want to listen to Pats news local to Boston (via Tune In); I can’t stand listening to WEEI’s D&C or MatMer (or even PFW) unless they have somebody guesting that’s worth a listen. Can you suggest Pats radio anchors or commentators who are worth listening to? Thanks.

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Honestly, I think blogger podcasts are your best bet. You’ll get actual football talk and everything. Here’s a link to the PatsFans Fourth and Two podcast and you’ll find the podcast me and Erik Frenz do in the righthand column of PatsPropaganda.

Pete Sheppard is probably the only Boston radio guy that isn’t just looking to criticize BB and the Pats at every turn. But if you want Xs and Os and matchup stuff, check out the blogs and podcasts. That’s the niche we’re carving out and I think you’ll find them interesting.

Can we get your objective take on Brady? Can’t understand the ESPN/NFLN media honkers of the usual “Brady Declining angle”; Brady may be playing poorly but still does enough to win games and he has played against very good defenses (except Atlanta)…. And on the other side, can’t get their fascination on PManning…. Manning is playing well statistically, but watching him, he doesn’t look comparable to 2007 Brady’s dominance; and considering the defenses he has played against? Media-Hype?

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Here’s a short take from a couple days ago. I have a long article for B/R brewing on this, but give us one offensive explosion and the storyline from this season on Brady is going to skyrocket in the opposite direction.

Again, EVERYTHING has gone wrong for him this year and he still keeps winning. Maybe if nothing had changed and his numbers looked this way I’d wonder. But give the guy a break, he faced a ton of adversity this season.

In my opinion Ridley is underrated, what do you think?

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This is kind of a hot-button issue right now, with the general consensus (including me) being that Ridley is underused.  However, I do think that there’s a method to this madness of Ridley not being the every-down back.

It’s clear Ridley is the best running back the Pats have, and when Shane Vereen returns, they’ll have a potent 1-2 punch. Ridley has the most carries of any running back (92) despite missing a game, so it’s not like he’s totally being relegated to a secondary role. 

Here’s what else is playing into it, in my view…

The Pats use a passing down back and right now that is Brandon Bolden. Ridley, for whatever reason, is not viewed as a passing-down back. And that won’t change once Vereen returns. So in pass-heavy games you’re getting less Ridley.

The Patriots are not a “featured back” team. They like a rotation and specific guys for specific roles.

There’s also the long-term outlook where you want Ridley fresh for the playoff run. So I think there’s an element of managing his snaps for that reason as well.

And really, hasn’t Ridley been a great spark being used as he is? There’s no question the last few games he’s come into the game and ignited the Pats offense. 

I also think his early season ball security is still a concern and part of it is that he’s being managed to build up both his confidence and the team’s confidence in him.

So there are a number of things in motion with this situation. It’s undeniable that Ridley has a unique burst and has been arguably the best weapon on the Pats’ roster. LeGarrette Blount seems to feed off of Ridley’s energy, running better after Ridley loosens up the defense rather than before when Blount or Bolden start off the game.

We’ll see how it develops, but I’d anticipate things to continue like this for a few more games. Once Vereen returns, the running back roles will be a little clearer, but I still think that Ridley will be a big part of the offense down the stretch.